Dominique Strauss-Kahn, ex-IMF head hit by scandal, starts work pro-bono in Serbia

Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn prepares to speak at an economic forum in Beijing on December 19, 2011.

Credit:

Ed Jones

BELGRADE, Serbia — Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the scandal-ridden former head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), arrived in Belgrade on Tuesday to serve as an economic advisor to the Serbian government. For free.

"We will work for three months pro bono, and then we'll see what will happen," Strauss-Kahn told reporters in Belgrade on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.

It's not clear if the presence of Strauss-Kahn, who faces pimping charges in France, will prove helpful for Serbia's European Union aspirations.

He told reporters on Tuesday that his team had "no magic wand or silver bullet" for Serbia's tottering economy, reported Reuters. (The Serbian government has hinted at possibly applying for an IMF loan.)

The 64-year-old economist resigned from the IMF in 2011, following a sex scandal with a New York hotel maid that was settled a year later. He still faces charges in France, but a trial date has not been set yet, according to the AP.

Strauss-Kahn has since been working as an economic consultant for various companies, said Reuters. Apparently, he frequently consults pro-bono for economically struggling nations, having recently advised the government of South Sudan for free, according to Britain's Daily Mail.

Back in Belgrade, Strauss-Kahn's scandal does not appear to have shaken the Serbian government, as last week's television appearance by Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic made clear:

"The great Picasso treated women and children badly, and some other people including Hitler loved women," Vuvic told viewers, according to Reuters. "If you want to judge by that, then you can judge Strauss-Kahn negatively."

Vucic on Tuesday welcomed Strauss-Kahn as an "expert" in his field, saying when it comes to the economy, "[w]e are not ashamed to say the guy knows those things much better than we do," reported Reuters.

Strauss-Kahn will be in Serbia for talks through Wednesday.

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